Special Photo
From left, Suwanee Mayor Jimmy Burnette, John Register with Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation and Corey Gamble, president of the North Gwinnett Football Association wave to a crowd of parents, coaches and players during the ribbon cutting ceremony.

SUWANEE -- They won't call it the Dust Bowl anymore.

Members of the North Gwinnett Football Association are "ecstatic" to use their new turf field, which was recently unveiled at a ribbon cutting ceremony at George Pierce Park. The project has been about four years in the making, NGFA President Corey Gamble said, and the magnitude of the event was exhibited by several hundred people being on hand for the ceremony on Aug. 4.

"They're ecstatic," Gamble said of the players. "We have a list of teams petitioning to get on the field."

Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation used SPLOST funds to pay for the field.

"This is a big deal for the association, as we have worked a long time to get a better field for the youth to play on for several years," said Sandy Vecellio, the NGFA cheerleading director.

About 20 teams make up the NGFA, which consists of kids ages 6 yearsold through eighth grade. Gamble said eighth graders primarily practice on the field, but the association is trying to schedule other age groups as much as it can. The first full slate of games is on Saturday, and runs for eight weeks.

The turf is a long way from the way the field used to look, which was one of the oldest in the county.

"Our field has been known to be a dust bowl," Gamble said. "We went through a few droughts that made it worse. We were painting the lines on dirt, not grass."